three broken promises
by MissingMommy
Summary: Three times Remus makes promises. He breaks them every time. :: Wolfstar, Remus/Tonks.


For the big sis lil sis competition. I used everything but an unexpected visitor, so pick your poison.

Links with Lo's as they both deal with promises. (Hence the title :P)

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The curtains of Remus' four poster bed open, letting the faint glow of moon wash over him. "I know you're not asleep. Budge up," Sirius demands.

A smile crosses Remus' face as he moves over. Sirius slides into the bed beside him, letting the curtains close, blocking out the light. "Couldn't sleep either?" Remus asks, voice low. He doesn't want to wake the other three boys in the dorm.

Sirius shakes his head. He curls against Remus. He's warm and familiar, and Remus heart aches. Tomorrow is graduation and they are going to be out from the protection of Hogwarts and Dumbledore. They will be in the midst of a war that Remus is terrified of fighting.

He knows that his friends are all willing to fight, have been since the first murmurs of war were heard. And well, Remus is just terrified of what it means for them. What war will cost them, because wars are never free. He wonders what they will lose in order to be victorious.

"You're thinking too much," Sirius mumbles tiredly.

"Sorry," he murmurs. But he doesn't mean it; they both know that.

Sirius sighs, giving up the illusion of sleep. He lifts his head from Remus' chest and props it up on his elbow, allowing him to make eye contact with Remus. "What's going through your mind?"

Remus is quite for a while time. He can't put his fears into words, so instead he says, "You know I love you, right?"

"Yes, but it doesn't hurt to hear it," Sirius replies, grinning. "But really, what were you thinking of?"

"The war," he replies honestly.

The grin falls from Sirius' face. His face becomes hard with anger at the thought. "We're going to make it through this alive, aren't we?"

Remus doesn't know the answer and he wishes that he did. Instead, he says, "We will. I won't let anything happen to you." And it sounds an awful lot like a promise.

Sirius pulls Remus into a kiss. "Good, I won't either," he murmurs against Remus' lips. "Come on, I bet if we get up now, we'd be able to watch the sunrise from the Astronomy tower."

"Aren't you ever the romantic?" Remus teases. But he still follows Sirius, grasping Sirius' hand tightly in his own.

Sirius is right; the sun is just rising as they reach the Astronomy tower. The last one they witness at Hogwarts as students.

* * *

Years later, he awakes to a Patronus telling him of his friends' murders and Sirius' arrest. He breaks everything in the room because he's angry. Because James and Lily and Peter are dead. Because Sirius is a murder. He's lost everything.

When he slides down the wall, he realizes that he couldn't keep his promise.

* * *

Sirius has his head resting on Remus' chest, with Remus' arm wrapped around his waist. Remus is still getting used to the way that Sirius fits into his arms, how different he feels after twelve years in Azkaban. Even after two years, Sirius is still sharp edges that doesn't quite fit into the puzzle that Remus craved of himself.

They are working on it though. Some days are more difficult than others, for the both of them. More difficult to remember the way they fit together, how to be around another person, because they spent over a decade learning how not to be with someone else. And two years just isn't long enough to unlearned what they spent twelve learning.

Twin cracks sound through their silence. It's immediately followed by Molly screaming at Fred and George, something about not Apparating in the house. Sirius groans. "We really should get a silencing charm put up."

Remus smiles at the twins' antics. He glances over at the clock on Sirius' bedside. "I really should get up. Dumbledore is sending me on a mission." Sirius perks up, causing Remus frowns. "You know that you can't go."

"I'm going out of my mind here," Sirius grumbles.

Remus presses a kiss to Sirius lips. "You're still a wanted criminal. I know that you want out of here, but I much rather you be out of Azkaban. I'm not going to lose you again."

The tone his voice takes must've gotten through to Sirius, because Sirius moves out of his embrace, frowning. "How long?"

Remus shakes his head. "I don't know. But I'll see you when I get back," he promises.

"Okay," Sirius replies. "Be careful."

"I will."

* * *

He breaks everything in Sirius' room the night that he dies. When he's finally out of anger, he slides down the wall, his head in his hand.

Despite his best efforts, he still lost Sirius again.

* * *

Remus pulls Tonks in for a kiss. It's soft and feels like goodbye. When he pulls away, Tonks eyes are shining. "Let me come with you," she begs.

He shakes his head. "I need to know that you and Teddy are safe. Please, Dora, do this for Teddy."

A tear runs down her face but she nods anyway. "Come home to me," she says. "Promise me you'll come back to me."

"I will." He presses one last kiss to her lips and Disapparates, with every intention of keeping his promise.

* * *

In the moment before the green light hits him, Remus realizes he broke his promise to her.


End file.
